DMA’s released their self-titled EP in 2014, quickly building some serious hype and cementing their place on festival line-ups around the world.
Since then, the Sydney three-piece have taken their time to release their debut album. But the wait is over as 'Hills End' was released late last month.
The record’s mixing was actually finalised 12 months ago with the aid of UK engineer Spike Stent, but guitarist Johnny Took has revelled in the time between recording and releasing, saying he enjoys the project more now than he did while in the studio. “I was kind of over the songs and the mixes because it was getting frustrating, but when Spike Stent came back with the mixes it made me hear all of the best things I liked about the songs,” Johnny says.
“Our label head in the UK, Korda Marshall, has worked with Spike Stent before, and he knew that where we were at with the tunes for 'Hills End' wasn’t feeling 100 per cent right, and he felt Stent was up to making it work.
“I remember the relief I felt when I heard the first mix, because after having some of these songs for three to four years and being there for every guitar take and every vocal take can become exhausting. To be able to give the mixes to someone with so much experience and an idea of the sound we were going for was a massive relief.
“We were actually on tour while the album was being mixed and it was quite strange because we’d all be in the tour van, headphones in, seeming like we were quietly doing our own thing, when in actual fact everyone was listening to the mixes, getting really passionate via email.
“Communicating the mixing process over email was advantageous. Sometimes in person you can be a bit overbearing, and also you don’t want someone over your shoulder the whole time. Stent gave us our space and gave us our own time to listen, and I think that worked out for the best.”
The DMA’s really got back to basics with the recording of 'Hills End', finding that upgrading to an actual studio space didn’t necessarily bring the vibes they required to make the album. “We started off in this studio that I moved into after the EP, because I wanted to upgrade the space we were recording in from my bedroom,” Johnny says.
“We moved into this shared studio space in Coogee and we did most of the drums, bass and guitars there, but to be honest, after a little while we weren’t really vibing the space, so we ended up moving back to my apartment and finishing it off there in Newtown.
“When you start working in a studio that’s more than one room, you can talk between rooms through the microphone and headphone hookups, and there were a few little things like that that the vocalist, Tommy O’Dell, didn’t feel very comfortable with. You could almost hear the discomfort in his vocal takes.
“Once we were back in my apartment you could do things like stay up until three in the morning doing the guitar takes, and you didn’t have to adhere to anyone else’s time schedule. We got the bones of the songs down in the studio, but we pretty much did all the creative stuff back at home where we felt more comfortable and where it all started.”
'Hills End' is a cleverly crafted collection of songs that translate the journey DMA’s have taken over the past three years. It ebbs between the stripped-back feels of ‘So We Know’ and ‘Delete’, seamlessly stepping up the tempo when needed as heard in the album’s first single, ‘Lay Down’.
Tommy O’Dell never expected to be the frontman of the band, coming from a drumming background, but his move to the mic meant the roles of drummer and bass player were up for grabs: and the individuals filling those positions have been fluid over the past few years. “We’ve been through a couple of bass players and a couple of guitarists, not for any particular reason, and because of that our sound has evolved,” Johnny says.
“Now we’re playing with Tom Crandles from Au.Ra and Joel Flyer from Popstrangers and they’re great. Bringing old songs into the studio and nutting them out with the new guys has been great and I feel as though we’ve really portrayed this live sound onto the record. Now that we have a bit of time before the second album, that’s something I’m going to experiment more with.”
If one thing is certain, it’s that DMA’s now know how to play live, having spent the last 12 months touring through the US and UK playing festivals such as Osheaga in Montreal and The Governors Ball in NYC. “It’s been amazing,” Johnny says.
“We’ve been able to experience some really great festivals, and there is a completely different atmosphere and vibe compared to Australia. The calibre of acts playing at these festivals is incredible and some of the set-ups were outstanding.
“Bonnaroo was really special for us because we thought that no one was going to turn up, because the US has been a bit slower for us, probably due to the sound we have. But there ended up being 3 or 4,000 people there to watch us, which was amazing.”
Written by Tegan Reeves
DMA's Tour Dates
Fri 27 May - The Zoo (Brisbane)Sat 28 May - Big Pineapple Music Festival (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 3 Jun - Fat Controller (Adelaide)
4-5 Jun - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
9-10 Jun - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
11-13 Jun - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
